Faces
by Falcon8492
Summary: There are three kinds of aces, but far more kinds of men. A look at the character of Cipher through 9 different iterations in 9 interviews: 3 for each ace style.
1. Introduction

SHARED INTRODUCTION:

*Spanish Guitar plays over footage of Cipher's files*

"Galm One. The Demon Lord of the Round Table. Ustio Air Force, 6th Air Division, 66th Air Force Unit. Five years of my best efforts to locate the subject of so much personal wonder and obsession turned up nothing. It was he who reached out to me. I have to admit, I was suspicious at first. Why would the man who had gone to such lengths to cover his identity suddenly come forward now? Nevertheless, I agreed to set up an interview. I was captivated by the chance to speak to him at long last. He must have sensed my doubts, because he immediately told me things about the other aces that I didn't put in my documentary five years ago. My name is Brett Thompson. This is the account of my encounter with legend."

* * *

><p><strong>**UPDATE 121/14*****

**Writing the first interview is taking a bit longer than expected, but I should have it up by the end of the week. In the meantime, I've finalized the interview list. The Crusader will go first by virtue of it being the first one I'm writing, but I'll do the rest on a demand basis.  
><strong>

**Knight:**

**The Crusader**

**The Squire**

**The Paladin**

**Soldier:**

**The Soldier of Fortune**

**The Tactician**

**The Patriot**

**Mercenary:**

**The Harbinger**

**The Hound**

**The Golden Dragon**


	2. The Crusader

Interview One: The Crusader

Christoph "Cipher" Reiter

Age: 38

Nationality: Ratio

Ace Style: Knight

Aircraft: F-5E Tiger II

Commissioned in the Ratio Air Force at the age of 22, Reiter showed exceptional skill during flight training, but frequently conflicted with superiors over "attitude issues." On one such occasion, his commanding officer warned that his career would ultimately "amount to nothing" if he continued to defy his commanders, the incident earning him his callsign. With the Belkan invasion of Ustio in March of 1995, he lobbied to officially resign the RAF to join Ustio's 6th Air Division as a mercenary. Fed up with his troublemaking and concerned over Belkan aggression, his superiors approved the request.

At the conclusion of the war, he chose not to return to the military. Outraged at a perceived lack of interest in bringing justice to war criminals of the Belkan War, he currently works as a bounty hunter, pursuing current and former members of organizations including A World With No Boundaries and The Falcons of Dawn.

* * *

><p>October 2, 2010 : Rutherford, Osea<p>

The hotel he had chosen for our meeting was located just off the main highway on the outskirts of the city. It was a typical inn/suite arrangement, only two stories high. On the one hand it seemed like a rather ordinary place for such an extraordinary individual to stay, but on the other I supposed that given the low profile Reiter had maintained over the years, the accommodations were actually rather fitting. I glanced at my notepad, which contained the room number where I was to meet the elusive ace. Room 32: the same number as the fighter he had flown fifteen years ago. My pulse began to race as I reached upward to knock on the door, not knowing what to expect. To my surprise, the door opened before my first knock fell.

Christoph Reiter, Cipher, the Demon Lord of the Round Table stood before me. His features seemed exaggerated beyond his years, his skin tough and his face wrinkled. His eyes were amber streaked and bordered by brown, granting them an even more hawkish quality than those that fighter pilots seemed to share. It was a feature not apparent from his file photos. Other differences from the photos included the stubble that seemed to cover his lower face, prominent grey hairs already clearly visible. His hair was longer than it had been in days past, now styled slicked backward. But the face was clearly that of the young Ratio Air Force Lieutenant from fifteen years prior. After some pleasantries, he explained that he had seen my approach via hidden cameras, a precaution of his profession.

"Being a bounty hunter is a lot like being a fighter pilot," he said. "My target and I are both hunters. There is no prey."

The hotel room didn't offer much to work with, but I managed to get a decent setup for my video equipment. He sat on the room's sofa facing the camera, arms spread across its top and his right leg crossed over his left. The picture on the wall behind him depicted a hunting hound. The atmosphere was borderline surreal. Teeming with excitement and suspense, I began recording, and the interview began.

* * *

><p><strong>*The painting of the hound dominates the frame.*<strong>

"People always said my pride would get me into trouble. In a way, I suppose they were right."

***The frame shifts to the torso of a man relaxed on a couch. A faded pair of olive drab military pants is tucked into an ancient pair of combat boots. A white tee shirt lies beneath a brown leather jacket.***

"It didn't turn out quite the way they always said it would, though. My family said it would make me no friends. My old commanding officers said it would ruin my career. My once best friend said it would get me killed."

***Cipher is now fully visible. He leans forward, looking towards Thompson, who is offscreen.***

"I remember the day he told me that. I hadn't yet been even 48 hours at Valais before I got my first order to scramble. Some Belkan bombers were on their way to try and take out the base. Due to materiel shortages, the only jet they had available for me to fly was this old F-5 Tiger. The Belkans weren't throwing anything too nasty at us, so I didn't object."

***Footage of Cipher's F-5 is shown taking off alongside Pixy's F-15. The quality is exceptionally poor, and the cameraman is not holding steady.***

"Since it was my first combat mission, command made it into a kind of tryout. They made me flight leader and assigned me my own personal guardian angel."

***Larry Foulke's photograph is shown, followed by one of Cipher and Pixy together in front of their aircraft. Stock footage of Ustio mercenary units flying over the mountains is then shown.***

"I admit, as we flew out to meet the enemy, I was afraid. But I had a mission. I went to Ustio to fight the good fight; to show the world that the weak were not mere pawns for the strong. My passions burned within me like a flame, driving my sense of purpose. Larry was never so idealistic, but I knew the same fire burned within him, too. It's why we worked so well together and bonded so quickly over those mountains."

***The view switches back to Cipher on the sofa. He gesticulates in time to his speech.***

"When we made contact with the bombers and their escorts, I was hit with an indescribable feeling. It was like my mind was pulled back into itself. I could see, I could feel, but my movements did not feel like my own. I was overcome with a tranquil fury the likes of which I had never before experienced. My fighter and I seemed to fuse into a single entity. About halfway into the fight, one of the Belkan bombers split from formation and turned back. I let it go. Terrible as it may seem, it was not out of mercy that I did so, but because it fueled that feeling. I wanted to teach those men a lesson. I wanted them to see the fruit of my righteous anger and spread the word."

***Cipher smiles***

"That was also the day I met my current bounty, though 'met' is probably too generous a term. I didn't know it at the time, but he was the first ace I ever took down. Guess life has a sense of poetic irony because he's also the last on my list. Not counting… well…"

***Photos and footage of wrecked Belkan Army vehicles along a highway***

"Over a few of the missions that followed, I earned myself quite the reputation among friendly and enemy ground forces as well, though I never particularly enjoyed the attack role. Ground targets were beneath me, in both the literal and figurative sense. There was nothing dignified about battling slow, vulnerable targets. Of course the mission and my survival had to come first, so I never hesitated to attack if it fulfilled our objectives, and I destroyed plenty of SAMs and AAA guns that tried to bring me down. But warehouses, barracks, encampments, and the like, I didn't waste my time."

***Maps and photos of Belkan Priority One Strategic Airspace B7R***

"Air to air combat was my gift, and so the Round Table was where I truly felt at home. The first time we went in, it was as a distraction to cover an allied naval operation. Of course they didn't bother telling _us_ that until everything was over and done with. Pixy and I had to chew our way through quite a few of the local fighters on patrol before enemy reinforcements showed up, so I was already down a good chunk of my ordinance and feeling a little beat up from the Gs I had been pulling when they did. Of all the aces and ace squadrons I fought during the war, a few stood out. Indigo Team was one such group."

***Thompson narrates exposition for Indigo Squadron. Photos of the pilots and their aircraft are supplemented with clips of Dimitri Heinreich's interview.***

"Fighting those guys was an eye opener for me, personally. Their JAS-39C Gripens were far newer and more advanced than anything we'd fought up to that point in the war. We were outnumbered two to one and these guys weren't lone wolf aces, they were a team. AWACS intercepted their communications for us. Their flight leader knew we could hear him, and that's when he made the mistake that cost him the battle. He tried to place himself above me by insulting my mercenary status and dismissed my cause. I was insulted, enraged."

***Black box recording data of the ensuing battle plays. The fight is over in less than a minute. The view changes back to Cipher upon completion, and finally a photo of Cipher's F-5 in what would become its most recognized paintjob.***

"When Pixy and I made it back to base that day, I was informed that replacement fighters had arrived at Valais and they offered me first pick at the new equipment. But I declined. From that day onward my fighter was my symbol. It was a constant reminder of my cause and the challenges I would be forced to overcome. Every advanced fighter, every weapon of terror that ever tried to bring me down spurred me to fight that much harder. Every disadvantage I had was an imperative to improve my skill. I believe that is the reason I survived Tauberg, but I know that is the reason I survived my second bout at the Round Table."

***Thompson narrates exposition for events between Solis Ortus and Operation Battle-Axe.***

"The battle had already been raging for hours by the time Pixy and I arrived on scene. Hundreds of planes clashing across the skies, and only death or the barren wasteland below to await those who showed even the slightest weakness: it was mayhem."

***Footage of the battle***

"I'd flown with him before, but that battle was the first time I took serious note of Crow Team's number three, PJ. He had a purpose as well, and a passion to match it. Pixy thought him naive. It was the first sign of a crack in our friendship, and of his choices to come. I didn't really have time to think about that during the battle, though. My role in the fall of the Excalibur laser had earned me great fame among our allies, and great resentment from our enemies. To say I had my hands full would be a massive understatement. The constant sounds of the missile alerts and the unrelenting waves of enemies shook me. That must not have been visible to anyone else, though, because the praise of my allies was almost all I could hear over the radio. They called me the 'Demon Lord.' I thought it was all quite exaggerated, honestly, but it inspired me nonetheless. I really was making a difference."

***Silber Squadron's details are shown and narrated, followed by clips of Dietrich Kellerman's interview.***

"As the brawl came to a close, the Belkans sent one last group of aces against us. Four Fighting Falcons led by a Phantom. A veteran and his students. I fought the F-16s first. There was just something about their leader. I wanted to fight him one on one. He fought with such tenacity to protect them, but in the end, all four of his pupils fell. It was more cruel than he or they deserved, but fate had brought us all together that day; only one flight was going home from the start. Still, just like I had with Indigo, I felt immense pride in my ultimate success over Silber Team. Despite our differing causes, we all fought with honor. I thought as long as I continued to fly with dignity and justice, my cause would not fail. Those who had died to help achieve it would live on in glorious memory. Even those who opposed us had a chance to see the error of their ways. If not, they would at least be respected."

***Cipher returns to view, his expression grim.***

"Unfortunately, Pixy did not share my 'aggressive optimism.' In the days that followed, he became more and more distant and resentful of the conflict. Despite my pride in my mission and the destruction that came of it, neither of us reveled in the carnage of the war. The difference between us was that I felt that my cause was just and I was willing to see out the conflict to the end. The greater good is a dangerous road to walk, I admit. Hoffnung was proof of that. Yet it was still one I was never ashamed to walk. June 6, 1995 hit us very differently. As we passed over Stier Castle on our way to Waldreich, Pixy was lagging behind. It wasn't until he'd fallen from my side that I began to realize how much I took his friendship and protection for granted. I planned to talk to him about it later, but I never got the chance. We were to redirect immediately to intercept a flight of Belkan bombers believed to be carrying nuclear first it looked like victory. Even some Belkan fighters had come to our aid against their own comrades. I had more hope at that moment than I did at any point in the entire war. Then it happened."

***Footage of the Seven Pillars of Belka***

"At first I thought I had been hit by a missile. It took me a moment to realize that everything was intact. So what had happened? I tried to look around to get my bearings and get my plane back on course. And I saw two suns in the sky. That's when it hit me."

***Cipher hangs his head***

"I was numb, still trying to process all that had happened when the missile warning rang. It had come from Pixy's plane. I dodged it, hoping it was some sort of mistake, a malfunction from the EMP. Then the bullets came whizzing by. My missile warning rang again, and there was no more doubt. It was on instinct alone that I survived Pixy's betrayal. It hurt. I admit, for a time afterwards I almost wished he had killed me. That was my first fight against A World With No Boundaries."

***PJ's profile is shown***

"With my buddy and wingman gone, Crow 3 became Galm 2. Patrick James Beckett. He's the most unsung hero of the war, if you ask me. I wish I could have known him better. He was always too busy looking up to me for our relationship to really get anywhere as equals. Instead, he sort of made himself my student. It was through him and Pixy that shaped my views on closure and the new nature of my fight. Pixy always viewed conflict as a collision between two amorphous masses, but PJ saw it differently. He always took individuals into consideration, never doubted the effect they could have. He believed that the big picture was made up of smaller pictures. And I was somewhere in between, the fire within me weakened."

***Thompson narrates events between the Treaty of Lumen and the final battle of the Round Table, finishing on Wizard Squadron's details.***

"It wasn't until we were all headed to our final fight at Avalon that everything began to fall back together for me. I crossed the Round Table one last time. Wizard Squadron was there waiting for us. Wizard 5 through 8 took us on first. Even while fighting those psychos, PJ held out for reason. They debated their positions as we fought, and the more I listened to them the more my gut began to churn. These people were willing to kill innocent men, women, and children for their twisted sense of ideals. To hear Bristow talk about such evil with borderline religious reverence, it made me sick. That was when the fire within me was rekindled in full again. It was not me who prevailed over the Round Table that day. It was justice."

***Avalon Dam is shown in the present day, then as it was at the final battle. All available footage of the battle is shown over Cipher's tale.***

"The ground forces at Avalon fought harder than any I had ever encountered before or since. Everything from entering that canyon to rising out of the underground tunnels after destroying V2's guidance systems is a blur in my memory. But we won. I wish the price hadn't been so terrible. Over a dozen of the bravest men I've ever met, PJ included, were killed. All of them died just so I could make it through. And there, in the skies over that cursed wall, the two survivors still stubborn enough to fight was all that remained. He meant to kill me, and I to kill him. I spent nearly all my ordinance whittling him down. No cannon fire remaining and only one missile in reserve: an AIM-9X. Eagle Eye said put it right through his front air intake, so that's what I did. My two best friends were gone, but the war was over."

***Cipher is shown once more***

"Well, the politicians have a nasty habit of leaving more messes and loose ends than I was ever comfortable with, so I've been tying them up ever since. You know, until I saw him in that documentary of yours, I didn't even know Pixy had survived our battle. I could give you a million different reasons why I didn't go looking for him then, but none of them would really matter. I'll find him again when I finish my business here in Osea. I don't know what's going to happen when I do. Whatever happens, I'm honestly not sure where I'll go then. I've dedicated my life to the resolution of the Belkan conflict. Maybe I'll find a new cause to champion. Maybe I'll just move on. At this point I think it only really matters to me. My time making history is over.

***Cipher smiles and looks directly into the camera, silent. The interview cuts to black.***

* * *

><p>As I left the hotel and headed for my car, I stopped to look back toward the window of the room I had just left. The curtains were open and there he stood. His posture was tall and proud, his expression contemplative. So powerful was his presence that at first I thought the thunder of jets building in my ears was simply my imagination. In actuality, it was large flight of Osean F-5Es passing overhead from the northeast. The leader of the formation made an aggressive right turn westward, the three closest fighters matching it in perfect unison, a slight delay before the rest managed to roughly mirror the maneuver. Reiter's eyes tracked the flight leads' planes across the sky. I saw him nod and give them a passing salute before turning his gaze to me. He smiled. Whether out of approval, nostalgia, or simple courtesy I will never know. He turned from the window, closing the curtain behind him.<p>

A week later, I was back to work. Yuktobania's foiled invasion of Osea dominated the agenda. Somehow, even in the midst of all that was happening, a particular bit of news caught my eye. Former Belkan ace Oswald "Regen" Baermann, founding member of the Falcons of Dawn and one of a handful shot down by the fabled Demon Lord to survive the encounter, had been apprehended by police in a small town outside Rutherford. The details of his capture were hazy, the police making no mention of receiving outside help, but I knew better. Influencing events with not so much as a trace of his involvement: it was practically his signature. I smiled at my idol's success. I cannot say for certain whether he will truly find peace at the end of his road or simply find a new cause to crusade for, but one thing is certain. There are such things as noble demons.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Whew! I hope this is going well so far. The AIM-9X is the real world missile that the QAAM takes its form in on Western aircraft, in case you were wondering. I figured the inescapably huge moments would be much the same between aces, but other of the finer details of the war would vary in importance from the perspective of different versions of Cipher, both for thematic reasons and to avoid excess repetition. That's why this one glossed over Glatisant, Excalibur, Mt. Schirm, and the Hresvelgr. ****Constructive criticism is encouraged and appreciated. Which perspective, if any, should I do next?  
><strong>


	3. The Hound

Interview Two: The Hound

"Nihilus 'Cipher' Nonentitas"  
>Age: Unknown<br>Nationality: Unknown  
>Ace Style: Mercenary<br>Aircraft: F-15C Eagle

It was no wonder why I had been unable to track him down even after all these years. At some point in the aftermath of Avalon, all records of his existence had been systematically destroyed by unknown parties. In that regard his case is hardly special, surprisingly enough. Large handfuls of personnel from both sides of the war have long been unaccounted for as a result of administrative tampering. Aside from that, however, virtually everything about him remains an enigma. Any information that exists concerning his life up to or after that brief period in history is speculative. Even information from the Belkan War itself is listed under an alias. Nobody knows how many others he has taken. Whatever his reasons for this extreme anonymity, he continues his secretive lifestyle to this day.

* * *

><p>December 7, 2010 : 16 miles south of Solo Islands, Ceres Ocean<p>

Rather than an address, my directions consisted of nothing more than a set of coordinates. According to them, our meeting was to take place at sea, ostensibly to keep our meeting and his location away from the prying eyes of the public. This reasoning would seem sound if not for the fact that our meeting place was just offshore from a joint OADF/OMDF base, in waters which were sure to be monitored. Although largely abandoned and containing little of use to the war effort, the remaining staff was extremely wary of anything that might in any way indicate Yuktobanian activity.

Still, having kept my contacts in the Osean military close, I encountered little trouble in getting permission to run a story there. Though small, the islands maintain a small civilian population, through whom I was able to charter a boat to reach the rendezvous point. While I was on the boat out, I had my doubts as to whether or not he would show. If he did, would he be genuine? These questions lingered in my mind even as we caught sight of his vessel: a decaying grey and blue fishing boat. At first, it seemed abandoned. That was, until he emerged from the hold.

He was clad in a battered flight suit bearing the Ustio flag and an emblem of a red hound biting at its chains. A scratched and dented helmet with its sun visor down and mask attached covered his face. The doubts I had harbored began to fade, replaced by a somewhat chilling feeling. His manner matched Pixy's descriptions perfectly. Perhaps it was simply my nerves, but something about him seemed almost otherworldly as well. Although I find I cannot aptly describe the experience, somehow I knew it was really him. Our two vessels met, and I stepped over to greet the mysterious man.

"Brett Thompson, I presume? Figured I'd dress for the occasion," he announced gaily, spreading his arms. His deep voice was muffled by the oxygen mask. "I'm sorry, but I must insist that my face not be seen. I still have many enemies in this world, and their shadow is long," he continued with more grave seriousness.

I told him I was no stranger to conducting anonymous interviews, and suggested we set up in the hold. I did most of my setup in the light. When I was finished, he followed me down, closing the door behind him. Satisfied with the level of darkness, he removed the helmet and mask. Despite myself, I began to sweat as I began my interview with the Demon Lord.

* * *

><p><em>Amidst the eternal waves of time<br>From a ripple of change shall the storm rise  
>Out of the abyss peer the eyes of a demon<br>Behold the Razgriz, its wings of black sheath_

***The silhouette of a man is barely visible in the pitch black hold of the small vessel. Only a small crack of light manages to make its way through the hatch behind him to provide the contrast needed to make out his presence. The details of his face are shrouded in darkness, save for the eerie reflection of the camera's red recording light in his eyes.***

"You know, before the Belkan War, I never believed in demons. Now I know for sure. There is only one, and she is a very complicated mistress."

***Galm team's information is shown with footage and photographs from Valais Air Base***

"You'll forgive me if I tend to speak in metaphors, but it's difficult to describe exactly what happened to me in the Belkan War. I suppose it's best to start from the beginning. When I went on my first mission for Ustio, I was already a fairly well-established mercenary. Nothing major, just enough that my clients knew that I wasn't the type to leave loose ends in a combat zone. Some called me merciless but the nature of war is to kill or be killed. I liked to think that by taking out every target that came my way, I was making it that much easier for some poor soul to be on the killing end of that exchange."

***Cipher and Pixy's F-15s are shown***

"Things changed a bit for me, little by little, in the early days of the war. Ustio provided me with an F-15C Eagle. I was in love with it the moment I saw it. As it happened, the wingman assigned to me also flew one. Larry Foulke, AKA Solo Wing Pixy. We got on well in those early encounters of the war. He took me under his wing, and that was saying a lot. Pixy showed me what it meant to be indomitable. In the skies, he was a man possessed. That red wing was emblematic of the strength of him and his craft, and the unstoppable force they became when united. I was good before. When I started applying what I learned from him, well, you know my reputation well enough."

***Exposition of the Round Table***

"Our first foray into B7R changed my view of Pixy a little more. The Belkans had a bunch of second rate patrol craft in the air that day. The pilots were skilled, but an F-15 versus a MiG-21 is a pretty severe handicap. It wasn't until their reinforcements showed up that things got... interesting."

***Rot Team exposition and interview***

"Four Typhoons flown by Belkan aces. I'd shot down aces before, but I didn't know that at the time. It really felt like being thrown into the crucible. The Belkan pilots were sure of themselves. They thought they would make short work of us. For a moment I was intimidated, but I drew from Pixy's strength.

'This is the Round Table,' he said. 'Dead men's words hold no meaning.'"

***Cipher is shown in the flesh again. His eyes seem to have more of a glint beyond the reflection.***

"I was inspired. I singled out a bandit and pursued him like I'd never pursued anything in my life. When I finally managed to put an AMRAAM up his tailpipe, this feeling washed over me. Suddenly, for the first time, I knew what it was like to be possessed by that blaze that was alive in Pixy. I shot down two more in a matter of seconds. I was so caught up in the new sensation that I didn't notice the last one lining me up. Pixy took care of him for me, saving my life. From that moment on, I looked at him almost like a big brother. Of course that still left room for sibling rivalry, heh heh. I also decided to get myself my own ace paint scheme. Galm is the local translation for the mythical hound Garmr in Ustio. I decided to run with it. I named my jet 'Hel' and painted it in tribute to her likeness."

***Exposition of the following battles of the Belkan War and Cipher's part in them***

"Over the course of many battles thereafter, including Futuro and Directus, I felt that same feeling I had while fighting Rot team returning. I harnessed it, refined it, gained control over it. It made me feel invincible. It shielded me from my own remorse in a way. It kept me alive to protect my allies and defeat my enemies. Don't get me wrong, I held the greatest respect for the lives I took. It's just back to that brutal nature of war.

Eventually, we got called up for the counter-attack of Belka itself. Glatisant in particular was a personal turning point for me. That was the first time I ever heard a friendly or enemy single me out among the chaos. I realized that I was now feared in the skies. I wasn't particularly fond of the glory that my allies began to shower me with, but they were inspired by my example. I was more driven than ever to rally our people to victory."

_The demon soars through dark skies  
>Fear and death trail its shadow beneath<br>Until men united wield a hallowed sabre  
>In final reckoning, the beast is slain<em>

***Excalibur's details are explained***

"And then the Belkans brought out Excalibur. I don't know what it was about that thing, but that weapon was the bane of my existence for the short time it was in operation. Something deep down inside me feared it, and that fear drove me to the brink of desperation. For a short time, I felt myself consumed. I felt blinded by fear. My plane was blinded by those jamming facilities. I fought like a cornered animal. I was nothing short of brutal in my efforts to silence that facility. I thought for sure that I would meet my end at the tip of that sword. But I didn't. Instead, with the help of Pixy and a young man named Patrick James Beckett from the Crow team, I delivered the killing blow to what I thought was my worst enemy. For a time, I thought I had won. But in the end, Excalibur defeated me in a way I didn't expect."

***Footage of Operation Battle-Axe***

"Pulling the sword from Tauberg earned me quite the reputation among my allies and enemies alike. By the time of Operation Battleaxe word had already spread. I was a prime target for enemy fighters. Some wanted vengeance, some wanted the glory of shooting down an infamous ace like me. It was a furball. I was so focused on staying alive and taking down the enemy, I didn't realize how aggressively I was really flying. I was high on my own arrogance. Pixy didn't say anything directly at the time, but I know now that I was not only ignoring his troubles but also tacking on a few more. The vultures didn't help any."

***Schwarze Team's details and Zubov's interview***

"We were just mopping up when this Belkan Fishbed goes tearing right by me. He didn't make any attempt to lock on me or fire, though, which I found strange. I swing my head around to check my six for any more and see eight black Foxhounds at a distance. The next instant my instruments say they've got me targeted on radar. Pixy knew who they were right away and he didn't sound particularly thrilled to see them. I knew we were going to have a tough fight on our hands.

They had the advantage in speed, but they couldn't match us in maneuverability. I'd used up most of my ammunition on the fight before hand, so it was a tight gunfight. I got six of them. Pixy got two. When it was all over, he whistled over the radio before giving me our traditional mission debriefing. I thought he was impressed. I was wrong, he was afraid. I was becoming a monster."

***Cipher is briefly shown, a look of sorrow discernible through his blacked out features***

"Not long after that, Pixy lost his way, too."

***Air and ground footage of the firebombing of Hoffnung***

"The firebombing of Hoffnung was terrible enough to witness, but to participate in directly? Command had outlined several targets of opportunity outside of our mission objectives. When the bombers started tossing bombs into the downtown area, I made a few runs on these secondary targets myself. Several facilities go up without incident. But then I drop a Mk. 84 on this factory complex. The whole place goes up like new year's fireworks. Somehow this Belkan civilian manages to get through to our comm. Says it's a civilian facility and begs me to call off my next attack run. For once, I did. Next thing I know, the Belkan Army is going around torching the places anyway.

Pixy just couldn't take it. It broke his fighting spirit. It broke his faith in our cause, and in me. I was no longer a brother in his eyes, but truly the Demon Lord."

***June 6, 1995. The Seven Pillars of Belka***

"His betrayal was nothing I shouldn't have seen coming. I thought about it long and hard after that fateful day, and starting with that sword, I had been slipping slowly down the path to hell. Nevertheless, my spirit abandoned me too. I participated in the rest of the wrap-up of the Belkan War, but my heart was only half in it."

_As the demon sleeps, man turns on man  
>His own blood and madness soon cover the earth<br>From the depths of despair awaken the Razgriz  
>Its raven wings ablaze in majestic light<em>

***Cipher returns to view*  
><strong>

"After Lumen, Ustio turned its attention towards rebuilding. Mercenaries like us were a last-ditch desperation effort to compensate for their Air Force's losses during the war. With the cessation of hostilities, your typical political cleanup followed. The Air Force wanted to keep us on to train the new replacements until they got back up to speed. The politicians said the surviving military veterans and allied advisers could do the same job for cheaper, and that they'd need all the funding they could get for reconstruction efforts. Personally, I have little doubt that there was far more to it than that going on behind the scenes. Still, until they came to an official agreement the brass at Valais managed to keep some of us mercs around, albeit for less pay.

A lot of them left anyway, yeah, but PJ and I knew it wasn't over. There were too many questions, too many so-called 'remnant forces' at Anfang. That was a difficult time for us. Everything was rumor and supposition. Even if we did have something to go on, we were pretty much limited to flying maintenance. I was glad that I had time to figure out how to make things right, but at the same time it felt like napping on the job."

***Footage of the Hresvelgr bombing Lumen and gun cam footage recovered from the AWWNB aircraft escorting it***

"Our enemies weren't sleeping, though, that was for sure. We got called up to our first combat briefing in months. They told us that there was a coup in progress and that Lumen had been bombed by a Belkan prototype superweapon. That's when everything began to shake. It had come for us. Sitting in my jet on the ground as that monster flew overhead, I admit I was afraid. But when we made it up into the sky, that dark spirit returned to me once more. Instead of fear I felt rage. The arrogance of this bird and its masters was offensive to me. PJ had found his resolve as well, and I knew the battle was finished before the first shot."

***Footage of Espada team and Vasquez's interview***

"Of course it wasn't flying alone. A cursory glance at its escorts was every symbol of the madness A World With No Boundaries stood for, fighting to protect that evil giant which they mistook for a majestic eagle. They were deluded to the point of fratricide and insanity in the name of peace and justice. Those two aces together and the headwind of those engines made it a tough battle, don't get me wrong, but in the end I think it was destiny that I killed that beast that day. I took no pleasure in spilling the blood of our former allies, but it wouldn't be the last time. For poor PJ, it got even more personal."

***Sorcerer Squadron data and Palmer's interview***

"After we killed that fell beast, Allied command got wind that A World With No Boundaries had control of a V2 nuke, and that they were going to use it to rebuild the world for their twisted cause. We had to cut across B7R to make it to the launch site in time. A renegade Osean squadron had other plans. I still remember how PJ practically begged them to see reason, but reason and madness don't really go together, do they? I tried to hold back to give him a chance to get through to them, but it was clear that we weren't going to have the time. Even I felt some sort of twisted sense of kinship with them; I never liked shooting down F-15s, not even the modified ones. In the end, I was left with no choice but to send them all down to hell."

***Exposition on Avalon and the ADFX-02 Morgan***

"Some people say I'm an unsung hero for what I did at Avalon. I'm not so sure. Stopping the V2 launch was undoubtedly worth my efforts, but I confess that the peak of that battle was having it out with my wayward brother. It was that battle that I realized who we really were. Two alpha dogs fighting for the fate of the world. Related but also mirrored, one red one blue. For a few short minutes I was Garmr and he was Fenrir. Our masters were gods and demons in one. Heroes and villains were one. All was one. Our duel seemed to last an eternity. But when I sent the final spear down his throat, in that moment, I felt emptied. The cold fire that raged within me was extinguished, never to return to me again. Back to sleep."

***The hissing of jet engines fills the boat. It sounds like trainers. Cipher looks up and smiles, his white teeth providing enough contrast to be visible. As noise recedes, he continues.***

"Well, Osea took the bulk of the credit for Avalon, but even they kept it pretty hush hush. And that was totally fine by me. I didn't fight for glory. With the world safe again, my contract with Ustio was officially ended. For a time I continued as a mercenary, but nothing I did ever brought back that feeling in my bones, and this old dog's not nearly as useful without his wings. So I retired, content to rest and keep the secrets of the war buried with me while the world moved on. But then I saw that documentary of yours.

The Pixy I saw on those battlegrounds was changed from the man I had shot down over that cursed place. I sought him out. I needed to know if he felt the same loss I had. When I finally tracked him down, though, fate decided that we would not have much time together. The exact details of our reunion and what was said are between me and Pixy. Suffice it to say that I got the answers I needed, and we shared one last gift between friends. That meeting saved our lives. Mine physically, his metaphorically. I gave him what he needed to live in peace. He warned me of the Gray shadow of revenge that spreads even as we speak.

It is that shadow that hunts me, but not for much longer. War has a harsh and fiery but also just mistress. I may be getting too old to serve her myself, but there are others who possess the spirit. Through them, I shall be reborn."

***A lower, more powerful and sinister roar begins to build. Cipher stands abruptly.***

"Mr. Thompson, it's truly been a pleasure. But if you'll excuse me, I believe I have some business to attend to..."

* * *

><p>When I returned to Oured, I felt like I was on the edge of a mystery that I was compelled to solve. Driven by this inescapable curiosity, I took a few extra days of personal time off work to look into the vessel where he and I had met as a starting point. With only a partially decayed registry number and a description to go on, I somehow found what I was looking for. The boat was the FV <em>Claravis Pretiosa<em>. But instead of answers, I was met only with more questions.

The ship had once belonged to a local fishery in a small town on the northern coast of Osea not far from Akerson Hill. In June of 2008, the _C. Pretiosa_ was fishing for tuna near the continental shelf off Cape Landers. According to reports from the crew, they encountered critically adverse weather, and the boat capsized. Taking water and unable to right it, the five crew members were forced to abandon ship. The Coast Guard located the crew two days later, but the vessel itself was never found and presumed sunk. The boat was never officially spotted again until the day after the interview.

An OMDF supply vessel reported its sighting to Solo Island base. When the navy arrived, they had it searched, but found no evidence to suggest anyone had set foot on the vessel since it went missing. The mysteries of how it had been righted, could stay afloat after two years, and had come to the Solo Islands were currently under investigation.

As a journalist, I must always be mindful of facts and reason. But as an ordinary person, I can't help but wonder now if the demon legends are true…


End file.
